Caution is required when prescribing psychotropic drugs to elderly patients, because of altered pharmacokinetics. Benzodiazepines with a relatively short half-life, such as temazepam (Restoril), alprazolam (Xanax), and lorazepam (Ativan), are better hypnotics for the elderly than those with a long half-life. Lorazepam and clorazepate dipotassium (Tranxene) are appropriate anxiolytics for elderly patients. Antipsychotics have anticholinergic and extrapyramidal symptoms in varying degrees. Thiothixene (Navane) and haloperidol (Haldol) in low doses are the drugs of choice despite their extrapyramidal symptoms...